22 Studies Uncover What Core Training Does for Athleticism

When you put together a training program for an athlete, or even an average person just looking to improve their athleticism, core training can sometimes be overlooked. The focus is mainly on the type of lifts, Olympic or otherwise, being performed, along with things like high-intensity cardio.

But a meta-analysis of 22 studies suggests that core training should be a focal point in your training if you want to improve athleticism. For clarity, core training is defined as exercises targeting the trunk, abs, lower back, hips, and glutes. The researchers measured balance, throwing/hitting power, and jumping.

Core training had a large, significant benefit on balance. Combining it with things like strength training and plyometric exercise helped even more.

Throwing velocity slightly increased but the major improvement was in throwing distance. This is not limited to just actual throws, but also things like a golf swing, which has similar trunk rotation in its motion.

Vertical jumping showed moderate, significant improvement. Horizontal jumping had an even more pronounced improvement.

There were no significant differences in benefit between youth and adults, or between males and females. Core training seems to help broadly across these groups. Interestingly, most studies never actually measured whether core strength itself improved. So it's not 100% certain the performance gains are because core strength increased, rather than some other factor. You would assume that is the case, but it is not confirmed in the data.

Rather than treating core work like a supplementary thing you do at the end of your workout, this evidence suggests it deserves a real seat at the table alongside your main lifts and conditioning work. Whether you're chasing better balance, more explosive jumps, or added pop on a throw or swing, a dedicated core program appears to move the needle.

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This story was originally published June 26, 2026 at 10:21 PM.